


reverie

by sherrysoutro



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Ash is mentioned, But kind of, F/M, Gymshipping, Light Angst, Not Actually Unrequited Love, pokeshipping - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 08:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20775536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sherrysoutro/pseuds/sherrysoutro
Summary: In which Brock comes to terms with some unwanted feelings (and realizes he doesn't need his own happy end).(kind of) one-sided Gymshipping, with a bit of Pokeshipping on the side. Oneshot.





	reverie

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in forever (and never in English) so this is a little bit all over the place. Despite that I think it turned out okay-ish.

When he realizes that his feelings for her have changed, he is horrified. 

They haven’t seen each other in a while – him drowning in his studies and her being occupied as a gym leader – so when Brock lays his eyes on Misty for the first time in _months_ his breath is taken away for a second. 

The child he remembers is gone, instead there is a young woman in front of him, matured, blooming, and with the most stunning smile he has ever seen. She is gorgeous and breathtaking and he has to stop himself mid-thought because _no_ – they are friends, almost family, she’s his little sister, she’s too young, this is _wrong_. 

It takes him a second before he catches himself, and he hopes, begs to whatever God is out there that she didn’t notice his short stumble, that she doesn’t realize how his heart is pounding inside his chest, that his eyes are not giving him away. 

For once it seems like he is lucky because she greets him just as she always does, with an open smile and a tease in her voice and Brock is able to breathe and smile back and for a short while it feels as if nothing has changed after all. They have a lot to tell each other after being apart for so long and it’s easy for him to pretend that Misty is still the same young girl he traveled around with for so long while she tells him how annoying her sisters are and how she wishes she could leave the town more often because she misses traveling, being a gym leader is so stressful sometimes and hey, has she told him already that her Psyduck finally evolved into a Golduck? (She hasn’t.)

Still, Brock can’t help but notice the soft blush that starts glowing on Misty’s cheeks as soon as their conversation shifts to Ash. There’s only a little bit of digging he needs to do until she admits to him with a shy smile that they’ve been on a few dates over the summer when Ash was visiting. (Misty doesn’t go into details on how far they went and he doesn’t ask, but the way she stumbles over her own words while talking gives him a good idea anyway.)

It’s nothing that surprises him – he has seen it coming for years now, after all – but there’s still a sting in his heart, and his smile feels a little bit too forced as he tells her how happy he is for them. They’re not official yet – as long as Ash is traveling they don’t want to commit to a relationship – but Brock can tell by the shine in Misty’s eyes while she talks about it that her feelings are serious. 

And that’s all that it takes for him to decide to banish every inappropriate thought into the depths of his mind, to swallow every negative emotion as soon as it tries to form in his heart. He’s Brock, she’s Misty, they’re friends, and that’s just it. 

(At least that’s what he tells himself.)

.

He buries himself even more in his studies after that, trying his hardest to get Misty to stay out of his thoughts as long as possible. He tries to date, too, but it doesn’t work, as every girl that is different from her doesn’t spark his interest as much as they used to and every girl that is similar to her only reminds him of what he can’t (and shouldn’t) have. 

It doesn’t help that Misty seems to have decided for him to be her go-to-guy for any relationship related advice. He isn’t surprised, because really, who else is there? Only a handful of people know about her and Ash and Brock seems to be the logical choice out of them (her sisters are out of questions due to obvious reasons and as much as Misty loves her other friends, neither May nor Lana are what one would call experienced in that regard). 

So Misty comes to him every time she needs an ear to talk to, and Brock smiles and listens and tries to help her as much as he can. (More than once a tiny voice in his head tries to persuade him to just give her bad advice, to poison their relationship from the side, but he ignores it. His love for both Misty and Ash is far too strong to ever act on such thoughts.) 

They grow closer through this, though. 

Brock appreciates it, even if it makes his life a little bit harder. He gives his best to act like he always did around her, but it’s difficult to be the best friend while always keeping a distance between them. There are times where he slips, where he allows himself to look at her a little longer than usually, to hold on to a hug a little tighter than friends normally would. 

Sometimes he wonders if she notices it. 

Some part of him wants her to.

(The other can’t think of something more terrifying.)

.

Three years pass by and Ash is still on his journey, Brock is nearing the end of his training and Misty… Misty is still waiting. She tries to uphold a positive attitude whenever they see each other but Brock knows her far too well to get fooled by that. 

She is miserable, and it gets worse with every day. 

Brock tries not to get involved and just observes from the sidelines, but there’s only so much sorrow he is able to see his friend in before it gets too much. After a particular heavy phone call where Misty smiled all the way through, talking about everything and nothing, not even once mentioning Ash, all while her voice sounded so cracked that he was scared she would break down right there, he gives in, packs his things and makes his way over to Cerulean City. 

When he stands before her she only stares at him and Brock wonders if he made a mistake in coming, but before he can even say a word she throws himself into his arms, already crying her heart out. 

She doesn’t know what to do, she tells him later, clutching to a cup of hot chocolate he made for her after she calmed down enough to be left alone for a few minutes. She loves Ash, she really does, but never seeing him has taken a toll on their relationship. He always tells her that he’ll be done with traveling soon, that he will come home after, _you only have to wait a little bit longer, I promise_, but she’s tired of it. She wants something real. And Brock recognizes the glance she shoots at him. 

So she knew all along. 

He doesn’t know when she moved closer to him but all of a sudden he’s very aware of how little space is left between them. Her hand brushes softly against his shoulder and he’s feeling the heat that radiates from her fingertips, the tension that builds up between them. 

His mind starts to get hazy but he understands the offer she is making. He can have her here and now if he wants. She is willing to choose him over Ash. Everything he didn’t even dare to dream off in the last years could come true tonight, he only needs to take it. 

He doesn’t. 

Instead he presses a soft kiss to her forehead. 

“You don’t really want to do that.” 

He knows it’s the truth. She does, too, even if she doesn’t admit it, only moves her head to the side, tears again shimmering in her eyes. He leaves her like that. 

The morning after Brock calls Ash and tells him that she won’t wait for him forever. 

Ash comes home the next day. 

(And this time he stays.) 

.

There are times that Brock wonders how his life would look like if he had made a different decision that night, what could have been. He never allows himself to entertain that line of thought for more than a few seconds, though. He knows he made right choice. 

And he can’t stop himself from smiling when he looks at his friends, still deeply in love, still happy. Misty is glowing, her smile so radiant he is sure it could light up a whole city, and she looks more stunning than he has ever seen her. Ash on her side, always smiling ever so sheepishly, as if he can’t believe this is his reality. 

This is how it should be, and even if it isn’t Brock’s own happy ending, being in the one of his two best friends is enough for him. 

(And if the hugs between him and Misty sometimes last a bit longer and are a bit tighter than hugs between friends normally are, then that’s just how it is.)

_Fin._

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Feedback would be very appreciated~


End file.
